Sparco EVO install 85 Carrera

[shaunmbenson]

So I'm on this constant hunt for the perfect seating for my 85 Targa.
I track it and have driven it 2000kms within a day and have looked for a seat that is lower than the stocker and feels good with a 3 point seat belt and can be supportive but comfy.

After a Vintage Seats RS (lovely but too tight for me), A Sprint - too tight and I could feel the tubular frame, and lowering the stock cushion by a half inch by rejigging the bottom springs a little I have settled, today on an EVO L.
It's an expired one that my mechanic lent me to try out.

I'd always balked at fixed seating until I realized last week I hadn't moved my seat fore or aft in about 8 months.

So today I put in the Sparco base plate.
Note to 84 owners -- you don't need this - the side brackets line up with the car's seat rails. I have it because it's the simplest plug and play method to have the seatbelt receptacle needed for the 85 and onwards cars.
It adds a little height and weight so if you don't need it why bother.
Then I bolted in the side brackets -- sparco again -- very easy to do and I recommend the bolt and nut package they sell -- makes life easy cause it's all just there.

I then put my seat in the second lowest hole at the rear (can't go to the lowest without hitting the bolt attaching bracket to car) and the third lowest in the front -- this is my fave angle for whats available with these side brackets.
Then I played with the fore and aft of the brackets to the car.
In other words I mocked it up - took for a spin -- played with permutations, took for a spin -- rinse and repeat until nailing a perfect starting position.

I then ran a ton of errands and so far so good -- I think I'll get the kidney pads and other than that run her on the track at DE and for some 6 hours days and she how she goes.

Already the increased upper body and leg bolstering is amazing and the three point lays on my perfectly and I'm lower but can still rest arm on sill happily.

And losing exactly 24.7 lbs isn't a complaint I have either.

After I try for many weeks I'll decide if the sport purpose it better than the 85% perfect old leather shoe that is the stock seat.

Cause if this ain't the seat for this car than only the stock is.

BTW -- I'm 190lbs, 5'11 and 34-35 waist. An EVO II would be it for a track only car but for street the extra width of the L is key for this working.

And if you don't know the 85s have a dreaded higher seat rail in the tub hence the lower being a big thing for me.

[Elombard]

Yeah I had Evo IIs (I think what they used to call them in years past) and they were fabulous. Super comfortable for long drives and awesome on the track. They could have been tighter for track but I like a little room. I am 6'4" and had to cut the rails out and do a custom solution to mount to the floor. The factory seat mounting on the 74 (I think) and up is super high. it gets tricky welding to the center tunnel because of the fuel lines as is well documented in many threads. My current Sparcos are similar but bottom mount. Keep waiting for the right deal on some fat boy EVOs I like them better.

[impactbumper]

So knowing that the 85 has higher stock mounting base how much lower did you manage to get your sparcos compared to stock seats? In other words how much lower do you sit now? Also you did not modify the stock bases (mounting) right? I have a 1985 sunroof coupe and seat height is horrible. Being 6.01" my head is in the sunroof all the time. Hate it


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[Elombard]

Yeah we cut out the stock mounting base - this was a modified car b4 prices went crazy. Welded in 3/4" or 1' square tube as close to the floor and still level as we could get it. I think it lowered the seat~ 2". My current car has the same solution and the sun roof is deleted...its like a cave in there so much room!

[shaunmbenson]

For me I'd say it's down an inch over stock.
Maybe a kiss more.
I have a targa so I can't give you relative height to sunroof but I've dropped such that I'm looking up at my visors instead of almost eyeliner with them.
And as I've been playing with different seats I'll say that each quarter inch is surprisingly a lot but until it's low enough it isn't. In other words making it a bit better wasn't good enough.
This weekend I'll get in a few hundred clicks so I'll have a good indication but so far so good

[froggert]

Sparco also makes a thinner seat cushion that lowers about an inch.

[BoxsterGT]

Just a word of caution to those who are working on seat mounts or fire extinguisher brackets..........

The fuel lines that run inside and through the tunnel along the drivers side are plastic and are subject to melting if too close to the weld point. They can also be damaged by drilling through the tunnel for extinguisher brackets.

Be careful. I have seen the results of both in the recent past.

Len

[Bleedsblue]

Originally Posted by impactbumper

So knowing that the 85 has higher stock mounting base how much lower did you manage to get your sparcos compared to stock seats? In other words how much lower do you sit now? Also you did not modify the stock bases (mounting) right? I have a 1985 sunroof coupe and seat height is horrible. Being 6.01" my head is in the sunroof all the time. Hate it

In my '86 (I assume w/ the same stock mount points?) with a Sparco Evo and Sparco brackets, I got an extra 2" of headroom. I'm also 6', though all torso, so my helmet at autocross was sticking out of the sunroof and severely limiting my vision.

[shaunmbenson]

So today I'm putting the stock seats back in.

I'm not ready to drop the $$ but after trying a bunch of shells I think eventually Porsche sports from 80-89 will end up in my car but til then nothing has been able to better the stock comfort seats for my almost daily driver purposes.

Sure, on the tightest twisties the shell seats are great but for 95% of my Xcountry/city driving I want the worked in leather and easy ingress/egress.

I love fiddling to get these cars just right.

[Bleedsblue]

I'm still on the fence between keeping my Evo (driver side only) in vs returning the original seat. The comfort level while driving isn't the problem for me (though I haven't done hundreds of miles at a time), it's more of the ingress/egress and lack of adjustability that gets tiresome.

[impactbumper]

I LOVE my pole positions.

[Bleedsblue]

Did you do sliders, Berk? That would basically alleviate my annoyance, but I would need to lower the chassis seat mounts significantly. Or delete the sunroof, my ultimate goal but $$$$

[froggert]

I did sliders and a quick release steering wheel. Either will make the car much easier to get in and out of.

[Bleedsblue]

^Even better w/ the quick release. Though for me the seat mounting points are the real problem, combined with my freakishly long torso/short legs. Built for a Ferrari (makes sense, mostly Italian).